Update on Cord Cutting (Cable TV) 2017 - 2020

[W2R]

So do you cordcutters recommend getting the hardware and setting it up to be sure it works and one is comfortable with it, a few months or whatever before cancelling the cable services or switching to internet only?

I tried my $5 homemade OTA antenna before calling to cancel my cable TV. I meant to give it a month, but it only took me a couple of days before I was ready to cancel.

I went down to the cable company office to turn in my box and cancel, and there was a line of about 30 people there. Everyone in that line was carrying their box, and all that I overheard were cancelling their TV service and going to OTA just like I was. It was amazing!

 

[explanade]

PS Vue, Sling TV, DirectTV Now, YouTube TV and Hulu Live all have varying levels of on-demand programming, and they're adding more all the time. Many cord-cutters don't realize there may be little if any need for a DVR sooner or later. In time the rerun only services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime will be redundant if they're not already. It depends on what's available where you are, what your wants/needs are and what you're willing to pay. It's the beginning of the end for traditional cable and satellite, good riddance IMO.

They won't always keep older seasons online. They will sell off the rights to season 3 of show x and only offer season 4 on demand.

It will eventually be like Blockbuster where the most popular content will be kept around but the content which weren't big hits will not be.

That's where having your own DVR will matter, if you want to check something out later. For instance I was over a year behind on House Hunters and had almost 200 episodes on my Tivo, including International.

If you go to the HGTV site, you can view some episodes but I bet they don't keep dozens or hundreds. Instead you can buy old eps on iTunes or maybe they sell DVDs.

Also, my guess is those cloud DVRs won't let you skip commercials as easily.

 

[USGrant1962]

OK, so who else cut the cord and used it as an excuse to jack up their internet speed?

I had Comcast cable, and already subscribed to both Netflix and Amazon Prime (via Rokus). So I added PS Vue for live streams and cut the cord a couple of weeks ago.

My internet was 25 Mbps down, and I went ahead and changed to "Blast" which is 150 Mbps down (and am actually getting ~200).

Bottom line is I'm saving "only" $33/mo from my old basic non-digital cable, but getting faster internet, better resolution on the streams than I had on cable, and some good on-demand stuff that I didn't have before.

Oh, and i got two different offers to "come back" to Comcast cable in the mail yesterday - not interested. When I dropped cable, the tech in the store told me he got a lot of people coming back, but I won't be.

 

[Cobra9777]

PS Vue, Sling TV, DirectTV Now, YouTube TV and Hulu Live all have varying levels of on-demand programming, and they're adding more all the time. Many cord-cutters don't realize there may be little if any need for a DVR sooner or later. In time the rerun only services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime will be redundant if they're not already. It depends on what's available where you are, what your wants/needs are and what you're willing to pay. It's the beginning of the end for traditional cable and satellite, good riddance IMO.

I would not characterize Netflix and Amazon Prime as "rerun only services." Tons of high-quality original content, plus loads of new movies, old movies, documentaries, and other programs that you'll never find on a "lite" rebundling of cable channels, even with on-demand access to their content.

I think these services are an improvement for sure, especially if there's a skinny bundle that meets your needs in the $20-30/mo price range. But they are still just an alternative delivery of traditional cable services and content with ads... not what I would call the new world of streaming. But you are right, it depends on what's available in your area, wants, needs, and willingness to pay. Sports and live cable news is still an issue for cord-cutters and these lite bundles may be the solution for some.

 

[Lsbcal]

...

My internet was 25 Mbps down, and I went ahead and changed to "Blast" which is 150 Mbps down (and am actually getting ~200).
...

We have around 120 Mbps download speed right now on Comcast. I'm not sure that the experience is that much better though.

I'm wondering if you noticed more "pop" in your on-line experience? There is the issue of latency (time to start up the stream) and how fast all the other parts of the network are including the site's server you access. Just curious.

 

[hesperus]

I also was an early adopter of this service. Initially, it was terrible. Lagging, time outs, it was a terrible service. However, they seem to have worked out the bugs and now have several channels that have 72 hour "rewind", so it's even better value for the $$$.
Edit: We also used Sling for a bit, but once DirecTV Now started to behave, we got rid of it. We were never a big fan of the user interface/guide.

Yes, the early days of DirecTV Now were bad. They gave us the Apple TV box for free with the deal, and we weren't fond of that either. But I stayed with it, since I figured they would get it worked out and at 35 bucks a month, it was cheap. Now, with Roku supported, much better service, and the additional rewind functions, it's been great. I have heard they will be offering a DVR type service at some point in the future.

 

[USGrant1962]

We have around 120 Mbps download speed right now on Comcast. I'm not sure that the experience is that much better though.

I'm wondering if you noticed more "pop" in your on-line experience? There is the issue of latency (time to start up the stream) and how fast all the other parts of the network are including the site's server you access. Just curious.

I don't think the prompt response time and "pop" (i.e. ping) is noticeably better, so I would not say that general web browsing is improved. As you note, server-side response can always be an issue. But download times are definitely improved.

We have a number of gamers in the house, including good old me. So downloading from Steam is lightening fast, and I'm able to throttle it and leave bandwidth for DW to stream Netflix. We have 3 desktops, 3 laptops, 4 phones, 3 Rokus, 4 tablets/ereaders, and a a few more internet-connected devices in the house so the extra bandwidth is welcome.

It is kind of like the comfort factor of using a 3.5% SWR instead of 4%! And going from 25 Mbps to 150 Mbps was only about $18/mo. Maybe this is an "I bought this because I could" item.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

OP here. It is amazing the way us old ER folks are using technology to fight the cable company's ever increasing bills combined with poor service. You have given me some good ideas to track down.

Some are hesitant due to being overwhelmed by the complexity of the devices. I enjoy the challenge. Much like some on here will say that they don't pay for repairs to their car because it is no big deal to rebuild the engine. Who can do that?

 

[Dawg52]

I don't think the prompt response time and "pop" (i.e. ping) is noticeably better, so I would not say that general web browsing is improved. As you note, server-side response can always be an issue. But download times are definitely improved.

We have a number of gamers in the house, including good old me. So downloading from Steam is lightening fast, and I'm able to throttle it and leave bandwidth for DW to stream Netflix. We have 3 desktops, 3 laptops, 4 phones, 3 Rokus, 4 tablets/ereaders, and a a few more internet-connected devices in the house so the extra bandwidth is welcome.

It is kind of like the comfort factor of using a 3.5% SWR instead of 4%! And going from 25 Mbps to 150 Mbps was only about $18/mo. Maybe this is an "I bought this because I could" item.

I don't game so can't answer to that. But I recently went from 25 mbps to 10 and couldn't tell the difference one bit. Streaming is great with no buffering and surfing the net is the same as before. But all households are not the same. If you have multiple streaming going on, then more speed could be needed. Video streaming and internet surfing is the most I might have going on at one time.

 

[Mulligan]

OP here. It is amazing the way us old ER folks are using technology to fight the cable company's ever increasing bills combined with poor service. You have given me some good ideas to track down.

Some are hesitant due to being overwhelmed by the complexity of the devices. I enjoy the challenge. Much like some on here will say that they don't pay for repairs to their car because it is no big deal to rebuild the engine. Who can do that?

Z3, Im hesitant because I dont like change. I am the perfect stereotype of why businesses dont want to hire older people....Resistant to change. I do play the "threaten to drop you" game, but that is it. I am currently on a 2 year $30 a month reduction. That is as far as I am willing to go to save a buck.

 

[bUU]

I'm not sure what you mean by "do a month of Roku".

I'm not sure either. I probably was thinking of one of the offered services but still typed Roku.

One thing to be aware of about the streaming services. Video quality could be variable depending on your bandwidth and audio is almost always stereo only, not 5.1.

Good point. Netflix very often dips down into grievously grainy PQ far worse than SD.

 

[Jerry1]

I think my cable company may be getting it. I have been in my new house for a year and my promotional package pricing expired. They sent me a letter and my bill only went up $15. I'm not sure if it's worth it to argue over that level of increase. I thought it would be more like $50. I'm sure having a competitor recently move into the area didn't hurt. I may cut the cord when I retire, but right now, the service is worth it to me and I don't really want to learn or hook up new equipment. Again, maybe after I retire.

I do appreciate all the discussion. You can tell this is a hot issue by how much conversation it gets. It really is absurd that many people (me included) pay over $100 for watching TV and connecting to the internet.

 

[Focus]

Another benefit to cutting the cord:

How Roku Is Saving You Money on Your Electric Bill Versus Cable TV - Cord Cutters News

 

[Nightcap]

I'm not sure either. I probably was thinking of one of the offered services but still typed Roku.

Good point. Netflix very often dips down into grievously grainy PQ far worse than SD.

That's not Netflix's fault, it's your bandwidth. Your ISP could be throttling you, your cable may have excessive noise, or your bandwidth may simply be inadequate. This is especially a problem if you're using WiFi.

 

[bUU]

That's not Netflix's fault, it's your bandwidth.

This isn't a matter of fault but rather effect. These problems don't happen with cable service, not even with On Demand (and strangely not even with Amazon Prime Video). The point is that this is the environment that you're buying into with streaming, i.e., the vagaries of Internet bandwidth, network congestion, throttling, etc. It's more uncontrolled variables shifted from service provider onto consumer. The lower effective quality justifies the lower overall cost.

 

[MichaelB]

This isn't a matter of fault but rather effect. These problems don't happen with cable service, not even with On Demand (and strangely not even with Amazon Prime Video). The point is that this is the environment that you're buying into with streaming, i.e., the vagaries of Internet bandwidth, network congestion, throttling, etc. It's more uncontrolled variables shifted from service provider onto consumer. The lower effective quality justifies the lower overall cost.

These problems do happen with cable. There are more uncontrolled variables with streaming, but that in no way means the quality is lower. In my experience, just the opposite. Amazon and Netflix video quality is far better than the Comcast video we get.

 

[Nightcap]

This isn't a matter of fault but rather effect. These problems don't happen with cable service, not even with On Demand (and strangely not even with Amazon Prime Video). The point is that this is the environment that you're buying into with streaming, i.e., the vagaries of Internet bandwidth, network congestion, throttling, etc. It's more uncontrolled variables shifted from service provider onto consumer. The lower effective quality justifies the lower overall cost.

Excellent point. When the interface was the cable box, it was the cable company's problem (and part of the reason that cable companies are the most hated institutions in America). I confess I had not considered how much responsibility ended up in my lap when I cut the cord. Thus far, it's worth it to me, but I truly understand why some of my neighbors just pay the $200+ Triple-Play monthly charges to the monopoly cable provider.

 

[USGrant1962]

Amazon and Netflix video quality is far better than the Comcast video we get.

Same here, and especially PS Vue versus standard non-HD Comcast.

 

[bUU]

These problems do happen with cable.

Not mine. I have never have a cable broadcast go from 1080i or 720p to 240p and then back within a few minutes.

There are more uncontrolled variables with streaming, but that in no way means the quality is lower.

We'll have to agree to disagree. In my book, inconsistency is a hallmark of low quality.

 

[Dawg52]

Same here, and especially PS Vue versus standard non-HD Comcast.

IMO and friends who have seen PS Vue at my home, it's as good as Comcast HD if not better.

 

[bUU]

IMO and friends who have seen PS Vue at my home, it's as good as Comcast HD if not better.

The biggest problem with PS Vue (and Sling TV) in my book is that it is not supported by any of my televisions or DVRs. Practically all the others are supported by one or the other. It seems strange that they've withheld their service from such a large portion of the available devices.

https://support.us.playstation.com/articles/en_US/KC_Article/PlayStation-Vue-Supported-Devices/

https://www.sling.com/devices

By comparison:

https://devices.netflix.com/en/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices

https://help.hulu.com/s/article/ka041000000q2FyAAI/supported-devices?language=en_US

Another hallmark of a poor quality service is one that does not make itself available on as wide of a variety of devices as other streaming services.

 

[MichaelB]

You need a STB to see cable, and it does not show any other content, and can only be rented from the cable provider. You need a device to see streaming, you have multiple options, each provides a variety of streaming services.

 

[bUU]

You need a STB to see cable, and it does not show any other content, and can only be rented from the cable provider.

I don't have a STB from my cable provider. You haven't needed one for about ten years.

 

[Dawg52]

The biggest problem with PS Vue (and Sling TV) in my book is that it is not supported by any of my televisions or DVRs. Practically all the others are supported by one or the other. It seems strange that they've withheld their service from such a large portion of the available devices.

https://support.us.playstation.com/articles/en_US/KC_Article/PlayStation-Vue-Supported-Devices/

https://www.sling.com/devices

By comparison:

https://devices.netflix.com/en/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices

https://help.hulu.com/s/article/ka041000000q2FyAAI/supported-devices?language=en_US

Another hallmark of a poor quality service is one that does not make itself available on as wide of a variety of devices as other streaming services.

I wonder what the % break down is of the population who use their supported devices vs non-supported devices such as yours? I'm guessing they are covering the majority.

 

[bUU]

I wonder what the % break down is of the population who use their supported devices vs non-supported devices such as yours? I'm guessing they are covering the majority.

I think that's a really bad guess. My point was about just how limited those two services, specifically, were. Your comment is true with regard to the other streaming services, but not those two. Their supported devices lists are simply far too limited. It is something that they should remedy, but perhaps don't because they're unprepared to capture the amount of the market they could capture if they remedied the problems with their services I have outlined, including breadth of compatibility with existing devices.